Marvelous mussels with fennel and black beans

6 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 medium Fennel bulb, whole
1 Yellow pepper, cored,seeded and quartered
2 cans (15 oz each) Black beans or azuki beans, rinsed and drained
3 ounces Fresh spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced crosswise
¾ cup Water
4 Shallots, halved
8 Clv Garlic, peeled
4 pounds Small to medium mussels, cleaned,debearded (see notes)
6 tablespoons Sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon To 1 tsp. Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon To 1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper, optional
¼ cup Olive oil
Calories: 207 Total Fat (g): 11
Protein (g): 12 Saturated Fat (g): 2
Sodium (g): 381 Cholesterol (mg): 14

Directions

Description:

Ideal for a summer buffet, the flavors of this salad marry nicely, especially when made in advance. For a shortcut, look for marinated mussels in your seafood market case. Some stores offer this as a delicious shortcut for their customers. You can make this salad up to a day ahead, but if doing so reserve the spinach and add it just before serving. If you refrigerate the salad, bring it to room temperate about 20 minutes before serving; this will enhance the flavors.

Instructions:

Pull the feathery fronds from the fennel stalks, coarsely chop and set aside. Cut the tough stalks from the bulb and discard. Cut the fennel bulb vertically into quarters, cut out and discard the core.

Thinly slice the fennel on the diagonal, starting where the stalks were reomved. Slice the pepper cross-wise into match-stick size pieces. In a large bowl, combine the fennel bulb and fronds, yellow pepper, beans and spinach.

In a 10-inch pot, combine the water, shallots and garlic. Place a steamer rack in the pot, cover and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, and steam until the mussels are open, 3 to 5 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels. Transfer the mussels to a bowl and set aside.

Remove the steamer rack and scoop out the shallots and garlic with a slotted spoon. Boil the cooking liquid uncovered until reduced to ¼ cup. Finely chop the shallots and garlic and put them in a medium bowl. Add the reduced mussel liquid along with the vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne, if using. Whisk in th olive oil.

Reserve 8 mussels in their shells to decorate the salad and remove the rest from their shells. Add the mussel meats to the fennel mixture. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Taste and adjust seasonings. To the salad with the remaining mussels and serve.

Source/Author: Simply Seafood / typo Bob Shiells Nutrition: per: Serving

: Carbohyrates (g): 18 Notes:

Dead or Alive

Shellfish, such as mussels, need to be alive before cooking. They may open their shells to breathe, so press any opened shells together; if they close the mussel is alive. Discard those that do not close or any crashed shells. Just before using, scrub mussels to remove dirts. Pull out the tough hair-loke stands, called beard, along one side. Simply hold the mussel in one hand with the threads facing the second hand. Gently slide the beard up and down, pulling it until ti pops out. Cook mussels immediately, since removing the beard may kill them.

Mussel Salad Dressing

When substituting fish for mussels, it's easy to replace the liquid obtained from steaming the mussels to make the salad dressing. In a medium pot, bring 1 10z can clam juice (1¼ cup), 4 shallots and 8 cloves garlic to a boil; boil, uncovered until vegetables are soft and the liquid is reduced to ¼ cup, about 10 minutes. Finish the dressing as in the recipe, by adding the vinegar, mustard and other ingredients. Seafood Alternatives: grilled bluefish, catfish, trout, swordfish, shrimp, salmon

Submitted By BOB SHIELLS On 08-09-95

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